Title: Private City_Carpark
Credits: Director-Leung Chun Hin Cedric
Private City _Carpark
Source of Inspiration and Subject Matter
The carpark is a private corner. No one spends an abundant amount of time in the carpark, but they spend time there alone. This allows the citizen to take a break from the city, pondering on “niche” topics he would otherwise not think about.
Carparks, from its very name “park”, appears to be something green or vibrant, yet we are left with a seemingly dull and lifeless box containing packed automobiles. It has often been ignored and seldom do we spend time at a carpark.
However, films often depict carparks as a place of tension. From Hollywood Blockbusters like Baby Driver (2017) and Scream 4 (2011) to Hong Kong Classics like in Infernal Affairs (2002), it has fascinated me how directors turn the silent, vacant spaces into locations for crossfires and scares.
Mesmerized by these contradictions, I examined the carpark from the view of an ordinary person. Starting from my first impressions of a carpark, I played with the etymology of the word and recalled my imagination of the carpark as a child. I then discussed how it merged into the urban lives of citizens and how would an ordinary citizen interact with the carpark.
Eventually, I ended the discussion by using the role of carparks as an analogy for people in society. Like carparks, most of us are ignored or unsung. We often seem to be unsatisfied when living in the shadows, desiring our moment to shine in society. However, the carpark allows us to contemplate that we have accepted and come to enjoy our lives in the shadows. It may not be vibrant or exciting, but we have worked diligently behind the scenes. And one day, someone would ultimately realize that you are worthwhile like the carpark.
Research Process
I started my research by looking into the history of carparks. Richmond explained the etymology of European carparks (2015), while Ben-Joseph focused on the development of American carparks (2023). The two articles laid out the origins of carparks by explaining how it was one of the first traffic control instruments and how they replaced urban green spaces. I also examined current Hong Kong policies on carparks including parking minimums, which led me to reflect on living spaces and costs of living.
I then researched the connection between architecture and society and came across Nuttgens work. Nuttgens argued that “architecture like art could be an expression of human experience.” Agreeing with Nuttgens, I tried to encapsulate the carpark as if I were capturing a sculpture or painting, trying to showcase the “humane” feature of a carpark.
Filming Process
Eventually, I chose a darker and antiquated carpark for the filming location to lay a grim foundation for the video. I filmed the majority of the video by using a first-person POV for more immersive storytelling to coincide with my monologue.
For the subject of the video, other than focusing on the concrete structures, I paid extra attention to the minor details. This included the alignment of water pipes, the streams of asphalt, the mold on the walls, the decaying signs, and even the car themselves. I believe that these features vary the dullness of the carpark, although they may not be vibrant, they are intrinsic to each carpark, distinguishing them from one another.
I also adopted an array of shots. I utilized wider shots for the majority of the video to allow the audience to better understand the spacing within the carpark. I also tried to view the carpark from a higher angle to showcase the beams and supporting structure of the carpark. To establish horror, I also panned my phone to build up suspense. Towards the end of the video, I also added sudden close-ups to engage the audience to peruse the vast darkness of the carpark.
For video editing, I minimized the use of transition effects to display raw footage to emphasize the correlation between the video and my imagination. I also chose neutral sound effects, like the ticking clock or heartbeats to convey my emotions to the audience. For the latter part of the video, I added more “creepy” music to emphasize the inharmonious and dim scenes.
Through the process, I gained a higher awareness in observing transitional places like the carpark, unearthing the beauty in these simplistic structures. For instance, paying more attention to the “dots” and “lines” that form our architecture. I also learned to view architecture as a reflection of society, discovering another means of understanding society.
Bibiliography
Eran Ben-Joseph. (2023, March 7). From chaos to order: A brief cultural history of the parking lot. The MIT Press Reader. https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/brief-cultural-history-of-the-parking-lot/
Lehe, L. (2017). Feedback and the use of land for parking. Journal of Transport and Land Use, 10(1), 463–476.
Lehe, L. (2018). Minimum parking requirements and housing affordability. Journal of Transport and Land Use, 11(1), 1309–1321.
Jade Bremner. (2013, August 23). Five of the best movie car park scenes. Radio Times | TV, film and entertainment news – Radio Times. https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/five-of-the-best-movie-car-park-scenes/
NUTTGENS, PATRICK. “ARCHITECTURE AND SOCIETY.” Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, vol. 124, no. 5238, 1976, pp. 283–322.
Recording, Radio Film Connection Blog. (2017, March 29).Filmmaking 101: Building suspense. https://www.rrfedu.com/blog/2017/03/23/filmmaking-101-building-suspense/
Rhys Williams. (2016). Radical Politics, Recent Exhibitions, and Utopianism Now. Science Fiction Studies, 43(1), 183–187.
Richmond, M. (2015). The Etymology of Parking. Arnoldia, 73(2), 19–24.
Simms, A. (2009). The Car Park at the End of the World. In Ecological Debt: Global Warming and the Wealth of Nations(pp. 124–140). Pluto Press.
Studiobinder. (2021, September 13). How to master suspense with 5 film techniques. https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/elements-of-suspense/
Leung Chun Hin Cedric
UID: 3035939808
I think your theme is very innovative. Parking lot is a common building in our life, but also easy to be overlooked. In the footage you presented, I can clearly see every picture and thing existing in the parking lot, but I think the video may lack a little heavy feeling(I mean that sense)? Maybe can add a little more background music during the whole video?
I appreciate the literary approach you have taken in this assignment, and your reading of the carpark is well analyzed. To further the investigation, you can take the point of view of an individual user that occupies the carpark space on a regular basis (the security guard, resident/worker of the building etc.) and explore the antithetical perspective to have a more hollistic video.